


Fall and Burn

by TVBS



Series: Flesh and Bones [4]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, M/M, Multi, incubus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-04
Updated: 2015-11-08
Packaged: 2018-04-24 20:13:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4933741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TVBS/pseuds/TVBS
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Extra Life changed things at the Achievement Hunter office. Not bringing back the weird things.</p>
<p>Just bringing back Gavin.</p>
<p>And how Gavin, Ray, Ryan, and Michael react to each other.</p>
<p>And the fact Michael's keeping secrets from everyone.</p>
<p>But you know, he's human. He thinks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> You guys are the best!! I love you all so much. I am so glad this entire series is being enjoyed so much. Thank everyone so much, and enjoy!

He could feel strong, unerring fingers slipping inside of him, slick and knowledgable. Michael moaned into the mouth covering his, knowing who it was that was stretching him open. Only one person had been inside him like that. Only one person could pull such reactions from him like that. Michael broke the kiss to pant, reaching behind him to grip Ryan's hair as he aimed his fingers just right. Ryan guided his face back so he could devour his lips, and another pair of lips kissed his shoulder. Michael grunted as Ryan pulled his fingers out, the mouth kissing his shoulder making its way down his torso to his dick. He looked down, watching Ray nuzzle his leg before licking him as Ryan slid into him. A long groan escaped his lips as Ray sucked him down, a sweet counterpoint to Ryan's thrusts.

It took so much to keep his eyes open, but a hand touching his face kept his attention. Michael focused his gaze on Gavin's face, panting into his mouth as he kissed him deeply. His fingers stroked Michael's face gently, lovingly, and Ryan's hand came up to his hair, stroking his curls.

And wrenched it to one side with unnatural strength as Ray gripped his hips with claws, blood running down his thighs. Gavin pulled back to grin at him, a toothy hungry grin before he darted in, right for his throat-

Michael woke up in a cold sweat, his heart pounding in his ears and his dick straining in his shorts. Slowly, he sat up, running one hand over his face. Of course he would have a wet dream about the three men in his life that he had some fucking weird complication romance novel bullshit with that ended with him being attacked. Because his mind was like that. Great. Absently, he palmed himself, then pulled his hand off himself and got out of bed. No, he wasn't going to jerk off to that thought. Not a good thing. Instead, he checked his phone, thumb scrolling through Twitter as his body calmed down.

Besides, that shouldn't have been the big thing his mind caught on to. A few weeks ago had been the fiasco called Extra Life, and dealing with that had been... fun. No one had trusted Ryan right away, even though it was obvious he had been possessed. Hell, even Burnie had put his "Ryan had been possessed" Seal of Approval on the events. But... no one knew the big part.

Michael looked down at his hands. His very, very human hands. Because that was a lie Burnie had been wrong as _shit_ when he had told him he was human. He had managed to rip something that he had barely been able to see (something that only Ray had been able to barely see as well) with his bare hands. Yeah, that kind of strength alone said he wasn't completely human, but on top of that, Mr. I Can Tell Who Isn't Human Michael "Burnie" Burns had told him that in that instant, he wasn't human. But right after, he was human again. Which didn't make sense. He was either human or wasn't.

And he probably wasn't. Burnie had probably been wrong. The question was, why? Why had Burnie been wrong?

Shit. He had theorized that maybe Michael was half-human, but he didn't think either of his parents weren't human. They would have told him, right? Just in case something like this came up? Shit, what kind of non-human would they have been that Burnie didn't know what it was? It had to be something with supernatural strength. Which didn't rule out a lot. Something that tapped into anger, maybe? And could see things humans couldn't? Shit, he had no idea.

Michael rubbed his eyes, yawning. It was only 2AM. He still had a while before he really had to be up for the day. Maybe he could try to get some more sleep. And not have another wet nightmare, that would be nice.

* * *

Michael tried not to get angry, but he really couldn't help himself. Yeah, Extra Life had been a disaster that had one good thing come out of it: Gavin came back to work with Achievement Hunter. But that still meant that all the non-humans were awkward as _fuck_ around each other. Ryan tried not to look at anyone as he got up to get a drink, going for the mini fridge they still kept due to the kitchen still being a place no one wanted to go. Ray twitched, watching him out of the corner of his eye, then shifted his weight in his seat. And Gavin just- sat there.

And Michael knew why. He stood up, making Gavin and Ray jump, Ray watching him warily. "I'm going to take a break," he told them flatly.

"Oh." Ray looked embarrassed at his reaction, and a little concerned. "Everything okay, dude?"

"Just fine." And he noticed as neither Ray or Gavin tried to get any closer. Yeah, he knew how all three of them remembered what happened while they were possessed. Which just meant Ryan remembered kissing him then strangling him, but Gavin and Ray... Michael felt a wave of anger spike through him at that, remembered as to what the fucking thing did to them and what it meant now, but he wrestled it down. He didn't know what would happen now if he let himself get angry. "I just need a break."

Without waiting for a response, he left, still stomping his anger down. This bullshit was annoying. Ryan remembered what the fuck he had done so he was tip-toeing around Michael because he remembered strangling him. Gavin was handling him with kid gloves because he remembered trying to eat him. Ray, on the other hand...

Ray had been Michael's fault.

Werewolves healed fast and took a lot of damage. Nothing had even been broken, just bruised. But that meant that Ray remembered hunting Michael, and he remembered Michael hitting him with a crowbar. Just the memory of how it felt and sounded when it impacted with Ray- Michael's stomach turned, and he rubbed at his mouth. No, he wasn't going to think about that right now. But overall, the fact Ray didn't want to be around him was completely his fault. And he had no idea how to fix that.

Michael took a deep breath, flexing his hands. He had to fix things, didn't he. And eventually tell Gavin about the whole bullshit with Ryan and Ray if they were going to be together. It just... wasn't the right time. They were already dealing with the aftermath of what happened at Extra Life. He didn't want to add relationship bullshit on top of all of that. He'd tell him later.

He looked down at his hands, absently flexing them, feeling how they moved. Human. They looked human, and moved human. He was human. He could do this. Everything was fine and they would get through this. Michael took a deep breath and went back to the Achievement Hunter office, trying to look pleasant. "Hey, don't we have some Minecraft to record?" he asked everyone as he sat down at his desk, trying to act like everything was normal.

Because everything was. Right now, everything had to be.


	2. Chapter 2

What happened during Extra Life was a mystery. Okay, yeah, he could figure out that most of the non-humans in the company had been possessed. That was obvious. But beyond that, Michael had no idea what else had happened. Why the hell had that thing gone after him specifically? That was probably the biggest question he had. Why had that thing stopped whatever it had apparently been doing with Ryan to attack him? That was enough to make Michael want to untangle the entire thing, but then came what happened when Ray was possessed. He had been able to see the thing like Michael had, barely, and managed to fight it enough to run away. And then...

Michael shivered, rubbing his arms as he sat down heavily in bed. No, what Michael had done was the biggest question. How the hell had he done it? He stood back up, eyeing his bed. Damn thing wasn't exactly light. He had tested this before: once perfectly calm, and it was pretty heavy. And if he tried to work himself up... well, he could try. Just think about the weird things at the office. Think about how everyone acted now. Think about how he really wanted to grab Gavin and fuck him but Gavin remembered trying to bite him so he was treating him with kid gloves...

With a rush of anger, Michael tried to lift the bed. The bed lifted a few inches... and stopped as the bed felt heavy in his hands. Slowly, Michael put the bed back down, rubbing his wrists. What was he doing wrong? He had been angry when it happened. So why now was it not working?

Why had he been angry? The answer was obvious: the ones he loved and cared about were being possessed. So he was angry about his people being hurt. But wouldn't it still work if he had been angry about other things too? Michael ran a hand through his curls, trying to think about it. How in the world did all of this work?

Not to mention Burnie had said he didn't feel human _then._ Not that he wasn't human. And he even said Michael had read as human again after he calmed down. So what kind of fucked up being did that? Got angry and wasn't human, then calmed down and was human?

... heh. It'd be funny if he was some kind of berserker or part animal bullshit thing. Something that when he said "Mogar is ready," he could literally mean a wild bear man. That would be hilarious. He knew he had to be at least part human, since Burnie thought he was at first. And he knew that was possible; just look at Ryan, after all. But beyond that, Michael had no idea what else he could be since Burnie had no idea either. And he wasn't telling anyone else because they thought he was human too. Well, except maybe Ryan, but that was a maybe.

So where to go from here? Michael dropped back onto the bed, face first this time. This was annoying. He wanted to know what was going on. Maybe he could go talk to Burnie, though he had a feeling that would be no help whatsoever. Burnie was not being a fucking help at all.

Damn it. It'd be nice if someone who could tell who and what non-humans are could tell what Michael was.

* * *

Burnie looked up as Michael came in, his mouth full of delicious sub. "What's up?" he asked around the mouthful, chewing and swallowing before asking again.

"It's about what happened during Extra Life." Michael checked around outside Burnie's office, then closed the door. "About what happened when you found me with Ray."

Burnie's face took on a slightly uncomfortable tinge to it. He put down his sub, scooting his seat back as if he expected Michael to do something kind of the same to him. "I remember," he said cautiously. "What about it?"

"Have you ever felt anything like that before? Like, has anyone else in this company felt like me?"

The words made Burnie relax a bit as he realized Michael's intent for being there. "No," he told Michael. "You're the first I've seen like you. I can tell you it's like an... animalistic or demonic rage thing when it happens. But otherwise, you're human. I have no idea what the not human side of you could be. I would think maybe some kind of shapeshifter like Ray, only you have a lot more human in your family."

"I can't shapeshift," Michael pointed out.

"I was talking more about the animalistic part of it." Burnie rubbed one eye, suddenly looking very tired. "Michael, I've been trying to figure out what you are too, and I have no fucking idea. It's driving me up a wall. All I can do is go on what I think it is."

"Well go you and your powers," Michael muttered. "What kind of powers do you even have, anyway? Some kind of witchy ability to see non-humans?"

"You mean magic? Nah, I don't practice magic." Burnie waved one hand. "I wouldn't, anyway. Apparently literally anyone can use it, which gives me an amusing picture of a werewolf witch, but I'd rather not use magic. I have other things to worry about than magic practice."

Huh. "You know a lot about this kind of thing."

"I grew up around non-humans. They taught me a lot when we realized what it was I was seeing. Anyway, that's the best idea I have. You're welcome to come up with another idea."

Michael sighed, nodding while feeling the frustration rising. It really wasn't Burnie's fault that he couldn't tell what Michael was. If he was the first one he had ever felt, then of course he wouldn't know. And whatever he was, apparently all the human he was putting out was messing with Burnie. "Fine."

"I see you haven't told any of the Achievement Hunters that you're not as human as you think you are." Michael winced at Burnie's observation. "I take it that's going to remain a secret?"

"Yeah," Michael muttered. "At least... until I actually know what's going on. I want answers at least."

"I get that." Burnie stood up, coming around to him and clasping him on the shoulder. "Look, I'll help you as much as I can. Call around, talk to a few friends of mine, see if anyone can help me figure out what I'm seeing here."

That... sounded really good. Michael nodded at that, taking a deep breath. "Okay."

Burnie grinned, ruffling his hair. "Now get back to work and let me eat."

Michael laughed a little as he left the office, feeling a little better. Burnie had been little help, but at the same time, he was willing to try to find someone that had answers. So he could at least get the ball rolling. That was good enough. With any luck, someone would get back to him soon. He had a feeling he wouldn't hear anything for a while, but it was nice to hope.

As Michael came into the Achievement Hunter office, he saw Gavin finishing up his own lunch while editing. The fact a vampire had to eat solid food as well as blood never stopped being weird to Michael. Gavin looked up as Michael sat down next to him, brightening slightly. "Michael! Where have you been?"

"Talking to Burnie about something. Nothing big," he assured Gavin. He really didn't want anyone to know what was going on. Just... Gavin had drank his blood before. Ryan had fucked him and whatever happened with incubi happened. Ray could smell things. They all thought he was human from their own supernatural senses. It would be hard for them even to believe Michael wasn't human based on that alone.

Gavin stared at him for a while. "If it's about what happened at Extra Life," he started awkwardly, "I was possessed and I would never hurt you normally..."

"I know, Gavvy." Michael swallowed, feeling a knot in his throat. Fuck. He knew how Gavin felt about him. "It's not about Extra Life."

"Oh." Gavin fidgeted a bit, opening and closing his mouth before saying, "Well, if there's anything I can do, just ask, yeah?"

"Yeah." He just needed to know first.

Gavin turned back to his workstation while Michael woke up his computer, hand half raised before remembering he wouldn't have to slap the aggressive out of it for doing so. Fuck, he was still getting used to things being normal in the office.

Well. Michael looked at his hands. As normal as it could be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Make sure to check out my tumblr at piecesharpeningteeth.tumblr.com! Sometimes I say important stuff.


	3. Chapter 3

Life was bullshit. That wasn’t up for discussion. But how life could _be _bullshit was. Which meant Michael found himself in the middle of a heated debate about his sexual prowess while trying to load up Minecraft. It would be bad enough if it was between Gavin and Geoff, considering how the two of them bantered back and forth. But when Ray got into it, and Ryan made sly little suggestions that made him grit his teeth and worry that the fucker was about to give away that the two of them actually slept together…__

Fucking. Bullshit.

Michael watched as XBox Live failed to connect to the server again, a growl building in his throat. They couldn’t work like this. He tried not to slam his controller down on the table as he attempted to connect again, taking a deep breath.

”Just saying, Gavin, he looks like a screamer in bed.” Fucking Geoff. Why the hell did he want to even know anything about something like that? It was Gavin and his business.

”That’s between me and my boi!” Gavin squawked. Which is exactly how it should be. Gavin was _his_ and shouldn't have to explain a damn thing and whoa where the fuck did that come from?

Michael slowly blinked at his screen, trying to figure that out. Why the hell had he suddenly gotten so possessive? Gavin wasn't _his_. Gavin was just his _boyfriend_ and even then, after what happened, things were kind of up in the air about that. He wouldn't really touch him after Extra Life. And they needed to talk about that. But he still cared about him and all that junk. Michael looked over at Gavin, who was looking over his shoulder to grin at Geoff.

Gavin was Gavin. No one else. He was the vampire they all knew and most of them tolerated pretty well. Not anyone's. Michael rubbed his face, trying to work through the feeling and ignoring how Ray was looking at him.

"Of course, you forget that Michael has a face for a perfect bottom." Michael's eyes snapped open at Ryan's teasing tone. The words reminded him of that night, and while it wasn't enough of an innuendo to make him want and need, it was still enough to make him lick his lips. A part of him felt like he always craved that, and he had a feeling that was going to be that fucking incubus's fault. That it was his fault for fucking something where he had the best sex of his life and not even fucking someone he loved dearly would live up to it.

God. He glared at his screen as it timed out yet again, ignoring how Geoff mused on what Ryan said, mashing the button on his controller to make it try to connect yet again.

"Dude, you okay?" Ray leaned over, his voice pitched between them. "It's not like you to get angry over this kind of shit."

"It's nothing," he snapped at Ray, making concern crease his brow even more.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Gavin lean over. "We're all in. Michael, are you still having problems?"

Before he could snap at Gavin that yes, of course he was, the XBox finally connected to the server. "I'm in," he said under his breath. "Let's get this started."

"Okay. One, two, three…" Geoff clicked his mouse. "Record."

* * *

Water. Water was God after a long recording session. Michael took a long drink, nearly moaning as it soothed his parched throat. Fuck, that felt good. Little sips throughout the entire thing were nice and all, but there was something about being able to just down as much liquid as one wanted in one go.

"Michael." Oh fuck. He lowered the water bottle to look up at Ryan, glaring at him. "I… wanted to say I'm sorry."

"For what?" he asked, his voice vicious. He looked around, noting no one else around.

Ryan ran a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath. "I realized what I said would have sounded like I would know what it looked like when fucking you. With everything that's going on with Gavin, you really don't need any of that to hinder."

" Yeah, well, you should have thought of that before you said anything," Michael snapped at him, taking another drink of water.

"We mess around here, Michael. It was just… second nature to say something like that."

"And what would have happened if Gavin figured it out? Or if Geoff did and told Gavin? Or Jack did and told Geoff or Gavin? Would that be messing around then?" Michael took a step forward, anger throwing his shoulders back as he met Ryan's eyes. "Don't do that again," he told him in a low voice. "I slept with you only once. Never again."

"I know," Ryan murmured. "I wasn't asking you to."

He wasn't, but Michael realized with a jolt just how close they were. "And don't do any incubus mind tricks," he snapped out.

"I won't."

"That means right now."

Ryan looked confused at that. "I'm not, Michael. I'm not hungry at all, and I'm making sure I'm keeping everything under control. What do you mean?"

The words made Michael take a step back, his heart suddenly picking up speed in his chest. "I… nothing. It's nothing."

Fuck. What the fucking hell was going on?

* * *

"Alright guys, good heist." Geoff clicked off his recording, signaling everyone else to do the same. The heist had gone horribly sideways, but it had been highly entertaining which was all they had to ask for. Michael stretched as everyone stood up, working out the kinks from sitting so long. Geoff left first, then Jack, then Ryan.

Which meant Gavin sat on the edge of his desk, worried. "Hey boi. I… I'm really sorry about not spending any time with you. Geoff's been kicking me about being a bellend for not talking to you," he said sheepishly. "I know I was possessed then. I just… nearly hurt you when I was."

"Yeah," Michael muttered. "But it wasn't you."

"But everything's okay, yeah? You aren't hurt? You've been… really quiet and angry lately."

And there was just something in that concern that did it. Michael stood up suddenly, throwing his headphones onto the desk. "And what? That's not normal after three of my coworkers try to kill me?"

Both Ray and Gavin winced at that. "We were possessed," Gavin started. "I just worry about-"

"Everyone fucking worries about me. From my goddamn anger to this, it's all 'Michael's so fragile he's going to break or be eaten' and you can all fucking _suck a dick._ " He could see the growing anxiety in their faces, and took an almost vicious glee in it. Of course they would worry that he was being too angry, like he himself was being lured back to the clutches of something that wanted to eat him. Something that Gavin fucking killed by the fact he was a vampire. "I'm not made of fucking glass. You don't need to be treating me like this." Not to mention he might not actually be human and he might join the 'has enough strength to take care of himself' club.

Before Ray or Gavin could say anything, Michael turned and walked out of the room. He didn't want to deal with this anymore right now. The whole babysitting before was enough when it was proven that too much anger meant something was wanting sweet Michael meat. Now, it was just annoying. It was dead. He could take care of himself. He killed the thing possessing them, didn't he? Ripped it apart. Michael rubbed his arms, suddenly remembering the blood splattering them. Yeah, he had killed it for daring to possess his people. So he didn't need babying. He was fine.

"Hey." A growl built in his throat as Michael stopped. Ray came up beside him, worried. "You okay?"

"Did you not fucking listen to me?" he snapped at Ray, who held up his hands.

"Whoa, don't bite my head off. I was just worried. You got that weird smell on you again."

Michael paused at that, glaring at him. "What weird smell?"

Ray shrugged. "When you get really angry, like when that thing tried to eat you and you threw me against the wall, you start smelling really weird. Whenever you start smelling like that again, I get worried."

He remembered that. That last time, when Gavin grabbed him, bit him, and sacrificed himself, he had thought he had impressive strength when he was angry and shoved Ray pretty hard. Michael felt the anger leech out of him as he realized what Ray was saying, and swallowed. He had been so angry he could barely see straight. And he was starting to have that kind of anger again. Which was the same kind of anger he had when he had killed whatever had possessed the three verified nonhumans.

Verified nonhumans. Ray didn't know he wasn't human. He thought he was human and that the anger had to be because of something wanting to grab him and eat him.

Michael swallowed, looking away from Ray. He had no way to tell him what it was. He didn't even know himself.

Fuck.


	4. Chapter 4

Ray wasn't lying to him. No matter how much Michael didn't want it to be true, there was no way Ray was lying to him. The only thing that Michael could say was at least Ray didn't know what it meant. But what would that mean anyway? He said something to Ray that he didn't pay attention to as his mind whirled. While he was angry, he didn't smell human. And not any kind of angry, but the kind of overwhelming angry that made people worry he was about to be chomped on. Well, that was certainly something that he didn't want to hear. Someday, Ray was going to put it together and he was going to figure it out that he wasn't human.

And then what? Michael tell him yeah, Burnie knows he's not human too but only sometimes? That for the most part, even Burnie thinks he's human and he doesn't know what he is either? Fuck, if he just knew what the fuck he was… if he just knew for certain. Michael flexed his hands as he pushed past Ray, not listening to anything he said. He needed to get away for a little bit. Just to get his head clear and figure out what was going on.

Or go talk to Burnie about things. He might be able to do that. Probably a far better idea than going back to the office and trying to deal with both Ray and Gavin badgering him. Not to mention that everyone else would probably be back by now, and he didn't want to see Ryan either. When did his life become a trashy paranormal romance novel? Where he had a vampire lover, a werewolf in love with him, and an incubus he slept with and wanted to sleep with again? And that he had to find a way to balance all of that so they didn't figure that out and hate him for any of that? Fuck, he did not sign up for this bullshit.

At least he had Burnie to talk to about his possible not human status. Who was currently eating and trying to work on something at the same time, but eh, Michael had big news. Burnie would see it that way.

He would, once he stopped glaring at Michael. "You have got to stop interrupting me around lunch," he said around his food.

Michael held up his hands. "Burnie, have you ever seen me when I'm really angry?"

"Is that a trick question?"

"No. I'm talking…" Michael frowned, trying to find the words. "Like, when that thing in the pantry tried to eat me. How angry I was then."

Burnie looked at him, frowning. "You're going somewhere with this and I have no idea where."

"Yeah, well… Ray just said when I get that angry, I smell weird."

That made Burnie sit up straighter. "He did, did he?"

"What do you think?" Michael shoved his hands in his pockets, trying not to feel vulnerable about that. "It sounds weird, doesn't it? Like, I don't smell like myself, but just when I'm angry. Have you ever seen me when I'm that angry?"

"Not that angry." Burnie leaned back, thinking about that. "Huh. That's pretty interesting. Do you feel any different during that time?"

Michael shrugged. "I don't know. I'm usually just so angry… it's not like I'm paying any attention to how I'm feeling."

Burnie nodded in acknowledgement. "True. I can't say I've seen you that angry. You think you aren't human during that time?"

"Sounds like there's a good chance."

Burnie sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Michael, I really can't say anything. Look, I'd really like to help you with this, but no one I know has come up with a better answer other than someone not human far back in your family. And even then, no one can figure out exactly what. If you actually showed what the fuck you were instead of me being able to see it once and smelling weird when you're angry, we might be able to figure it out, but right now we have no idea."

"Great," Michael grumbled. "So nothing about things that get more powerful when they're angry?"

"Michael, that could be _humans_. That doesn't narrow down a lot."

He flinched slightly at the words. "Fine," he mumbled. "Fine. Okay. Just… I'll let you know if someone else tells me something."

"When I'm not eating," Burnie called after him as he left. "Do it when I don't have food in my mouth."

* * *

"Be careful, Gavin, Ryan's right on your ass," Michael laughed, microphone to his face as they filmed the VS. It was obvious Ryan was going to win. But he had to give some kind of encouragement to his boyfriend. "Ooh, and Ryan's so far ahead now it's not funny."

Yeah.

Ryan was going to win.

At least they knew he was going to keep the belt this week. Sometimes Gavin did win, but this time around, Ryan trounced him easily. It was kind of funny. Gavin's first VS while back, and he gets his ass beat. At least it'd be something the fans would like, Michael mused as he put his microphone away.

Time for editing. Michael groaned as he went for his computer, knowing there was nothing else to do that would put that off. Yeah, they could mess around a little more, but everyone knew they had just enough time to get all this shit out, and it took the entire Achievement Hunter department to get all this shit done on time.

Michael's eyes slid over to look at Gavin sit down next to him. He hadn't said anything else about being okay or how angry he was since he blew up at him. Maybe Gavin was afraid that Michael would blow up at him again, but he had an idea that wasn't the case. He had a feeling Gavin was a little angry himself at how Michael reacted, and he was just making sure he didn't snap at him.

Which was probably a good idea given everything. He didn't want to say something he regretted later.

Michael ran a hand through his hair before putting his headphone on, frustrated. How the hell would he even explain any of this? He would have to say something about Ray and Ryan. And Ryan by himself would fuck shit up. Yeah, they hadn't be dating yet, but he sure as fuck had made it obvious that he had an interest in Gavin. And they had that weird tension between them since that one drunken night when Michael found out for sure Gavin was a vampire.

He just… wanted to talk to Gavin. But he had no idea how to explain any of this. He knew Gavin would want to know everything, and he'd probably be pissed as fuck about Ray and Ryan, but he couldn't give him answers about the possible not human thing and he wouldn't apologize for fucking Ryan. He liked doing that. It was fun. Just… he wouldn't do it again, like he told Ryan. He had Gavin now.

Except for the fact Ryan might be unconsciously putting out lust shit… or Michael might be wanting him even now.

Okay, so Michael's life needed to chill the fuck out right about now.

Well, okay, right now he was just going to focus on his work. And try not to pay attention to Gavin next to him, frowning at his own computer and the fact he could just turn to him and ask to talk to him about things, despite not knowing what to talk about.

Something furry laid across his feet, and Michael twitched, looking down in surprise as he saw a wolfed out Ray settle down under his desk. He didn't look over at Gavin as Ray got comfortable, laying his head down on his paws and closed his eyes. He had been told that Michael calmed Ray down when he needed it. And he had seen Ray do this at least once before. And maybe Ray was doing this to try and calm Michael down, because it was like a big dog. It was calming. But he didn't want to answer anything about why, so he didn't look over to Gavin, and just continued to work as he felt Ray breathe against his legs.

* * *

Okay, Gavin had to stop looking at him. It was just getting creepy.

Michael rubbed at his neck as he looked away from Gavin, licking his lips. Yeah, he had been angry and they hadn't talked about it, but that didn't mean Gavin had to keep looking at him. That was just… weird. Michael tried to get back to work, his fingers clicking over keys and hand moving the mouse before he sighed, turning to Gavin. "Okay, what?"

That made Gavin jump slightly. "I-"

"You keep looking at me like that. What the fuck do you want?"

"Oh. Um…" And now he was fumbling. Gavin rubbed the back of his head, looking away. "We really can't talk about it here."

Michael looked around the room, noting the headphones on, then back at Gavin. "Fine. You want to go outside?"

That made Gavin look uncomfortable. "You know, we don't have to talk about it now."

"Bullshit. You keep looking at me and it's making me feel like you're about to eat me. So let's go talk this shit out." Michael stood up, motioning that Gavin should come with him. "I'm not going to bite your head off."

That made Gavin look a little more comfortable as he stood up as well, coming with him. He followed in silence, shoving his hands in his pockets. Whatever it was, he didn't want to talk about it. So that made two of them, not wanting to talk about something, Michael thought. It kind of sucked, everything they were keeping from each other, but at least Michael had a good reason.

"Okay," Michael said once they were outside, turning to Gavin with his hands spread wide. "What is it?"

Gavin didn't look any more comfortable about talking about it. "It's… stupid, really."

"Stupid enough that you keep staring at me. Spit it out."

He fidgeted slightly, sighing. "Something's bothering you," he finally said. "And you won't talk to any of us. I don't know what we're doing wrong. But it's something. And… whatever it is, it's making me think."

"About?" Michael prompted when Gavin went quiet.

Gavin bit his lower lip. "I've told you about my secrets," he told him finally. "But you won't tell me yours. You don't trust me. And if you won't trust me…"

"Holy shit, Gavin, are you breaking up with me?" Michael stared at him, mouth open. He hadn't expected to hear that. But… he should have, shouldn't he? He really hadn't told Gavin a fucking thing. And wouldn't he react the same fucking way if Gavin was doing the same thing? But… "Gavin, look, I… I just can't…"

"Can't tell me?"

Michael let out a long breath. "It's something I'll know more about later. Okay? It's not that I don't trust you. I just can't…"

Gavin let out a bark of a laugh. "Can't tell me a thing that's worrying you. Is it because we didn't believe you about Ray and the thing possessing Ryan?"

"No! It's… it's not that. I can't- I can't really explain it. It's… it's not something I know a lot about right now, okay? So I don't want anyone to know because I don't have answers." Well. That was pretty much true. And it didn't even let Gavin know he wasn't human. He didn't have to get into Ray and Ryan right now. "I'll let you know when I can."

"You're not telling me everything." Gavin glared at him, crossing his arms. "Do you really think I can't tell you're still hiding something from me? There's more bothering you."

"Gavin…"

He shook his head, pushing past him to go back inside. "Let me know when you can actually tell me the truth," he said as he opened the door, leaving Michael behind with those words.

Goddamn it. Michael ran a hand through his hair, growling under his breath. That wasn't what he wanted to do. Hell, that wasn't where he wanted it to go. He didn't want Gavin to want to break up with him. Just… talk to him. Maybe make him realize there was a reason he couldn't talk to him. And now Gavin wanted to leave him and Gavin was fucking his… he didn't leave. He was _his_. Michael flexed his hands as he growled, then stopped.

They didn't move right. He looked down, breath coming faster in his throat as he watched his fingers snap back into their proper places after being in an unnatural claw position, out of a normal human joint. Almost as if the bones themselves had rearranged themselves in his anger.

His anger. Oh God. What was his anger? What did it mean?


	5. Chapter 5

Michael's eyes stayed steady on the clock. Any time now. Aaany time. He just needed to wait for- 5:00pm. As soon as the clock ticked over, he rocketed out of his seat, almost running for the door, hands under his armpits.

He couldn't explain it to anyone else. What would he say? That he might be some kind of shapeshifter except maybe not because it only happened when he was angry? That was shapeshifting, right? The way that his hands twisted out of human shape? Michael shivered as he wrenched his car door open, and slammed it shut once he was seated. Fuck, that had been the most disturbing thing he had ever seen. It wasn't even that his bones had changed, just that they had rearranged themselves before he could notice. What else had happened while he was angry? What else had shifted?

Shit. He wished he could recreate it so he knew what was going on. But he couldn't figure it out. Just something about the anger changed him. Or maybe he changed and the anger was part of it. Fuck if he knew. Just… he needed to talk to Burnie, but he was out. Doing his job like an actual employee. Michael started his car, and made sure to pay extra special attention to how he drove home. Didn't need to get angry on the way. He didn't know what would happen if he did, after all.

Well, if he thought he was human before, that changed that thought. He wasn't human in the least. Maybe Burnie was right and he was _mostly_ human, but there was a part of him that wasn't and it was rearing its ugly head right now. A full body shudder wracked Michael as he stopped at a light, the thought running rampant through his head. Fuck, the part of him that wasn't human was finally showing itself and he didn't know what it was or how to control it or even how to fucking tell anyone that yeah, _he's not completely human._

How does one even say that, anyway?

And it didn't even get into the fact that Gavin knew that wasn't the only thing bothering him. He didn't know that he had a lot of relationship bullshit going on, but he knew it was something. And now Gavin wanted to break up with him, even though they had barely even gotten started. A soft growl started under his breath as he drove, his hands tightening. Even though Gavin was his, and had been since that night. They were _his_ , and nothing could hurt them, harm them, and they- fuck. Michael snarled as he shook his head, realizing his thought process. That was more than just some fucking alpha male bullshit. There was something inhuman about the entire line of thought, something that made his stomach tighten with worry.

What is wrong with him? None of that was normal. Michael pulled into a parking spot, blowing out a long breath as he hit his head against the headrest. He wish he knew what he was just so he could go about learning how to control it. If he was some kind of shapeshifter, then figuring out what kind and how to control it so he could whip it out on cue. And so he had something to actually tell Gavin, which he could probably lead into Ray and Ryan. Just in the whole "hey, since we're being honest" thing. But nope, all he had was insane strength at one point, Burnie saying he wasn't human then, Ray saying he smelled strange when he was that kind of angry, weird hands, and thoughts that went beyond alpha bullshit. Michael unbuckled himself and started to his apartment, rubbing his face. If only he had asked exactly how he smelled when Ray said that. Maybe he could have told _Ray_ what was going on since it seemed like he was going to be a shapeshifter just like Ray. Maybe pick up some tips. But at the same time… why tell Ray first instead of Gavin? And would Ray have even believed him? Fuck, if he told anyone, would they believe him? Michael paused at his door, then opened it as the thought plagued him. Ryan had fucked him and gotten a taste of whatever incubi eat. Gavin had bitten him. They both _knew_ what Michael tasted like, and even if Ryan had his doubts, he knew it was at least mostly human. But no one seemed to believe him when he said anything about weird stuff anyway unless he had proof…

Fuck. Michael locked the door behind him, kicking his shoes off. He didn't know what to do now.

* * *

Ignore everything. Ignore everyone. Michael turned up the volume on his headphones as he edited, trying to drown out the presence of everyone else around him. Just ignore everyone else. He didn't need to remember Gavin's presence one side, or Ray's on the other, or Ryan's across the room. Ignore.

Ignore.

He could see Ray getting up out of the corner of his eye, and he tried to ignore the urge to grab him. Fuck. Everything was starting to go out of control now. He couldn't let that happen. Michael waited until Ray came back and settled back into his seat, then threw his headphones off his head and pushed away from his keyboard in a panic. "I-I need air," he choked out as everyone looked up at him, trying so hard to ignore how Gavin started to reach out to him.

Just ignore it all. Michael chanted that in his head as he ran outside, taking a large gulp of air. Fuck, how could he ignore it? He could feel himself becoming less and less human every fucking second. Just seeing Gavin made him want to growl, and he could almost feel his hands changing shape under his skin. He wrapped his arms around himself, shuddering in the chilled air.

He needed to tell them he wasn't human.

"Hey." Michael's head whipped around as Geoff came up behind him, hands jammed in his pockets. "You doing okay there? You've been on edge for a while now."

Michael let out a broken laugh at that, shaking his head. "You have no idea," he told him, rubbing one eye. "Geoff… shit. I don't-" He took a deep breath, then turned to look at Geoff fully in the face. "Gavin been talking to you?"

"Yeah. Said you've been hiding some shit from him. Think you can talk to someone other than your boyfriend for something like this?"

"We might be broken up," he muttered. "And… can you not tell anyone else?" At Geoff's nod, he weighed his options. He could tell him about the big thing: His lack of human status. Or he could get into how fucked his love life was. The human thing was the big one, but… he still didn't think Geoff would believe him. So instead, he said three words he regretted instantly.

"I fucked Ryan."

"You _WHAT_?!" Michael winced as Geoff leaned forward a little, face open in surprise. "Michael, please tell me I didn't hear that you did a fucking ass stupid thing like fuck someone that isn't Gavin, and that you're keeping this from him. And please tell me you didn't do this while you two were waiting to get off your asses to ask each other out." Geoff rubbed a hand over his face as Michael winced again. "Goddamn it. Did you flush all your brain cells down the toilet or something? Why the hell did you think that was a good idea?"

"I have no answer for that." None that didn't involve the words 'Ryan's an incubus' and right now, it seemed like only the verified non-humans, Michael, Burnie, and Barbara knew that. And Barbara only because she was dealing with the PR shitstorm of Extra Life and had to know what happened and how to spin it.

Geoff sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Fine. Okay. So you slept with Ryan, you dumbass. Are you going to tell Gavin?" When Michael shook his head, he frowned. "Goddamn it, Michael."

"Sometime… soon," he told him. "Just… not right now."

Geoff watched him for a moment. "There's more."

Michael shook his head. Nope. Nothing more. Nothing like he wasn't human.

"You're so full of shit." Geoff shook his head. "All I can tell you is get your head out of your ass and actually tell Gavin. Some time soon, that shit is going to come out and it won't be good. And I don't want to deal with a very upset vampire in the office."

"Okay," Michael mumbled. He knew he had to tell Gavin at some point. Just… he didn't know how. Just like he didn't know how to say he wasn't human. "I will."

Geoff reached out, running a hand through Michael's hair and forcing his head back. "You're a good kid, Michael. Dumb, but good. Now go tell Gavin you did something dumb, and do it away from the recording equipment." He let Michael go and went back inside, leaving him behind to think about what he said and what to do next.

In the end, Michael went back to the office, no answer having come to mind. As he reached for the door, Ryan suddenly pulled it open, looking surprised. "Oh, hey. I didn't know you were there, Michael."

"Yeah." Of course it was Ryan.

Ryan peered at him, then reached out and lifted his chin. "You doing okay? You look a little pale there."

God, why did he have to touch him? Michael felt his breath come shakily at the pressure of Ryan's fingers against his skin, remembering how they trailed across him when they kissed and Ryan's mouth against him, surrounding him- And by the way Ryan's eyes suddenly darkened, he could tell Michael was thinking about it too. Which was great, if an incubus could tell if someone else was thinking about sex. His fingers spread across Michael's jaw, and he could hear Geoff clearing his throat which they ignored, and Gavin getting up with a furious expression-

Which Michael did not ignore, and he stepped away from Ryan. "I'm fine," he said belatedly, trying to defuse the situation. "I'm fine."

"I don't know, boi," came Gavin's cold voice from behind Ryan. "You look fair red in the face to me now." He stepped around Ryan, then looked at the both of them. "Mind explaining what's going on?"

"No," Michael snapped, pushing past the two of them. He ignored the look of sudden surprise on Ryan's face as he pushed him out of the side and went to his desk. Michael was about to sit down when he felt a chilled hand on his shoulder, and he turned around with a soft growl. "What?"

"I think you and I should talk," Gavin told him.

And maybe it was the fact Gavin had gotten angry about it, but Michael suddenly felt a large surge of rage take him. "About what, Gavvy? What do you want to talk about? How about how my life is _my life_ and thus private?

"Oh boy," he heard Geoff say as he sidled away.

"Bloody private when you're flaunting it right here in front of everyone!" Gavin waved a wild hand at Ryan. "I'm not stupid, Michael. You've snogged him before Extra Life, haven't you?"

"Hey, maybe you should take this to less populated location," Ryan tried to insert before Michael took a step closer to Gavin.

"What part of 'private' do you not understand?" he barked out. "You really want to get into this, Gavin? You really want to get into my private life and that kind of shit? How about it's none of your business what I do or what I have done? How about it has nothing to fucking do with anything now?" He could hear the B Team crowding into the office to watch this happen, but he didn't care. What the fuck did Gavin think he had any right to say any of this shit? Michael growled slightly, flexing his hands and feeling them pop slightly.

"It's my business when it has to do with a coworker!" Gavin didn't back down from him, matching him growl for growl. "And it's my business when you're bloody eye-fucking each other in the bloody office!"

"Who I've fucked is not any of your fucking business!" Michael roared, pushing Gavin.

Who went flying several feet across the room, hitting the wall hard and falling into a heap.

Oh God.

All motion stopped as Gavin groaned, slowly sitting up. Michael watched him get up, his breath hard and fast against his lips. His eyes met Gavin's, catching the surprise there. And something else, something…

Surprise, and fear.

Gavin was afraid of him.

Someone touched him. Michael jumped, head snapping over to see Ray smiling weakly at him. "Hey," he said, stroking his arm. "Hey, it's okay. Come on." He started to pull Michael into a hug, and he distantly realized he was shaking. He was shaking as Ray ran a hand down his back soothingly, whispering words in his ear. Michael's eyes started to close as the words faded into white noise, noting that Gavin was looking at them-

Gavin, who was afraid of him, who he had pushed several feet without trying-

Shit. He had done that in front of people. Michael's eyes snapped open and he pushed Ray away, eyes darting around at everyone. He had shown off that strength in front of people. He had shown them he wasn't human and he _wasn't ready_ and oh God he had hurt Gavin to do it-

This time, when Ray reached out for him, he pulled away. When he flexed his hands, he knew they didn't look human and oh God, he couldn't do this. He didn't have the answers. He looked around at everyone and God, they all took a step back. They were all terrified of him. No, he couldn't do this. He made a break for the door, and ran right into Lindsay, who reflexively grabbed onto him to keep from falling.

Which was enough to make him think she was trying to keep him there.

Michael growled, grabbing her arms and throwing her up against the wall. The scream she made caused him to stop and look down, breath halting completely as he saw the blood running down her arms from his fingers. Then he looked back up at her, watching her face turn from pained to determined, right before she headbutted him and made him let go and stumble back. Pain exploded across his face, from his forehead to his mouth, and he ignored both as he ran past Lindsay.

Home. Home, home, home, he had to go home. Get out of here.

His hands weren't human. They didn't want to hold his car keys right. They kept dropping them. But eventually Michael managed to open his car and turn it on, peeling out of the lot and driving like mad home. His eyes stayed straight on the road, not wanting to look at his hands or any reflections. He didn't want to know what he'd see.

God. He literally had Lindsay's blood on his hands. He had _hurt_ her. Why? Why the hell had he… Michael snarled to himself, punching the gas as he made his way to his apartment. Why the fuck had he done that? And now they all knew he wasn't human, and in the worst way.

They all knew. That was what ran through his mind as he managed to enter his apartment on the third try and lock it behind him, dropping the keys on the ground as he stared at the living room. They all knew. He had gone ape-shit and shown them all.

Michael shuddered, jerkily making his way to the bathroom. He needed to get Lindsay's blood off his hands. And take a look at what happened. As he washed his hands, he felt something scrape the skin. Frowning, he looked at the twisted fingers, seeing what looked like long thin claws jutting out from the end of his fingertips. Not like his nails were claws, but like cat claws. Michael swallowed, looking up at his reflection.

And recoiled in horror. The blood on his mouth from his new fangs would be enough, which would explain the pain in his mouth. He had cut the living shit out of his lips. But no. That wasn't it.

It was the otherworldly glowing yellow eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who was told they were going back to auditing and didn't have to do any more mandatory overtime? Yup! Have a chapter in celebration.

What the hell was that.

Michael stared at his reflection, swallowing as he touched a clawed, twisted mess of a hand to one eye. His fucking eyes were _glowing._ Not just reflecting light, but- Michael flipped the lights off suddenly, wanting to see if it was true, and felt his breath come quicker as he saw the dull yellow glow flare in the glass. Yeah, they were definitely glowing ever so slightly.

Fuck. That was beyond not human that he looked. He didn't even know what he looked like now. Maybe demonic, but didn't Gavin say something about demons not being on this plane of existence? Like, Burnie told him or something? Michael swallowed a hysterical laugh at the thought that Burnie had been wrong before. It would be funny if he had been wrong about that. But no, he couldn't be. He had to be right.

No, he was just some kind of shapeshifter and this was a weird way it was coming out. How the fact he had some human in him messed with it. And he could control that. He wouldn't be the only shapeshifter. There was Ray, and he would know how to control it and learn how to shift between forms and-

Oh fuck. Ray. Michael paced in front of his mirror, fighting the urge to run his hands through his curls. It was good that Ray had tried to calm him down, and that it had almost worked. Said something about how that whole shit worked with him. But fuck, he had bugged out at work. In front of a whole bunch of humans that thought he was like them, in front of Gavin, who he hurt, in front of-

Michael stopped, his heart beating wildly in his chest.

In front of Ryan.

Whose first reaction to learning there really was a werewolf shifting uncontrollably was to kill him.

Michael shuddered, rubbing a knuckle into the corner of his eye. He had hurt someone in front of Ryan. And fuck knows if he would still hold to that whole idea of if someone was out of control, kill them. Somehow, he didn't think he would considering what had happened during Extra Life, but that had been because they were possessed. Michael wasn't. The thought Ryan would consider him a rabid animal to be put down… God. It was terrifying. Especially if Ryan decided that it had to happen because he cared about him and Michael was a danger to himself and others.

Which he might as well be. He had hurt Lindsay. Had her blood all over his hands. Fuck, was she okay? Those claws were pretty sharp, and kind of long. He might have really hurt her. Michael inhaled suddenly at that, shaking his head. As far as he knew, Lindsay was human. He might have hurt his really good _human_ friend. What kind of fucking monster was he? Maybe he deserved any kind of punishment dished out to him.

God. He didn't want to leave the bathroom. Even though he kept catching the glimpse of glowing yellow of the corner of his eye, at least it was dark in there. He couldn't see anything else. Seemed like excellent night vision wasn't one of his super special abilities. But he was alone, and he couldn't see himself right now. That was good enough. He could work through how messed up and not human he looked right now in a bit. Right now, he just needed to calm the fuck down. Michael sat down on the closed toilet seat, taking a deep breath as he realized he was trembling ever so slightly.

No matter what happened… he didn't want to die. Michael wrung his hands the best he could as he rocked on his seat, eyes darting around in the darkness. He didn't want to die. He might deserve punishment, but not death. Ryan- he couldn't. He just couldn't.

* * *

So he could not retract the claws. Michael flexed his hands, cursing slightly under his breath as he tried to figure out what he was doing wrong. It would probably be better if he could see what he was doing, but he didn't want to see his hands just yet. He knew they still didn't look human thanks to how they moved and the fact they still scratched the shit out of him. Michael shifted his fingers another way, trying to find a way that felt like the claws would retract.

No such luck. Fuck. Maybe they couldn't retract? That would fucking suck. Would give him a lot more of an incentive to learn to shift back to human. Michael flexed his hands again, then stopped as he heard knocking. He stood up, cautiously making his way out of the bathroom and towards the living room.

He froze as he heard voices, words unintelligible through the door. But who they were- Michael backed up as he heard Ryan say something, only for Gavin to snap something back at him. No, he wasn't going to answer that. He wasn't going to open the door to those two. And God, now he could hear Ray say something as well. All of them were there. He couldn't even say anything because he knew they were there to kill him. What else would they be doing there instead of… well, calling him? And why not Geoff? Someone that had been sympathetic to him before? Michael almost held his breath as the door handle jiggled, then let it out as it stopped.

Then did hold his breath as he saw the lock on his door suddenly turn, and the door swing open slightly. "I bloody well told you I could pick locks," Gavin said over his shoulder, crossly. "Now, let's find Michael and make sure-"

When the door swung open completely, the first thing Michael did was grab the end table by his side and throw it at them. It hit Gavin full in the face, knocking him backwards for a brief stunned moment while Ray and Ryan took a quick surprised hop backwards. "Michael," Ryan started, holding a hand up.

Fuck. No. He didn't care. Ryan was going to hurt him. Michael snarled at him, making him back up even more with both hands up. Goddamn it, they were blocking his way out. He couldn't run, just- hide in his apartment. He backed towards his couch, foot hooking his coffee table.

"Hey." Ray peeled out, walking forward and taking off his shirt. "It's okay. See?" His hands went to his pants as he toed his shoes off, chucking the fabric to the side, leaving him bare. "I'm going to go into your favorite form. Remember your footwarmer?" With that, paws hit the ground and Ray looked at him with serious eyes as he padded forward on all fours.

His favorite form. The furry form. The steady warmth against his legs. The light breathing. The claws. The fangs. The terror that he was going to be eaten- Michael growled at him, making Ray lower his body, bracing himself as Michael grabbed the coffee table and threw it at him. It hit him, forcing a pained yip from Ray as he went sliding across the floor towards the door-

Toward Gavin, who yelped in surprised and jumped over him, landing on four paws. And all Michael could remember was how Lindsay said the Ramsey family had been dreaming of a large sandy cat, but he never thought Gavin could actually turn _into_ one- and it didn't fucking look like the kind of shapeshifting Ray did but _magic_ of some sort…

But then Gavin turned back, hands up as he took a step backwards. "Don't-" he started. "Don't… worry, my boi. We just- wanted to make sure you're alright, yeah? You ran out of there so fast, and it's all new. We all thought you were human and it turns out you're not. It's new for you too, yeah?" He swallowed, his hands still up. Michael's hand went to the couch, ready to fling it at him and knowing he could when Gavin said softly, "I remember waking up and not being human anymore. 'S a shock. I told them that. We're here to help you through that shock, Michael. I- we all care about you." Gavin hesitated, finally looking Michael full in the face. "I love you," he said softly, taking a step forward. "I know we had a row back there, but it doesn't change the fact I bloody love you, you idiot."

Michael looked at him, then away. "Lindsay?" he finally asked, his voice rough in his throat.

"She needs stitches," Ryan told him. "Otherwise, she's fine."

Stitches. Michael didn't look at them as he shook his head. "Go away."

"Michael, you really-"

"I said go away," he snapped at Ryan. "All of you."

Ray padded over to Gavin, nudging his hand. He looked down at him, then back up to Michael. "We can help you look human again," Gavin tried before Michael slammed his hand down on the couch, shoving it towards them.

"How many times do I have to tell you to go away?!" Michael watched as Gavin and Ray hopped out of the way of the couch, and he closed his eyes. "Just… leave me alone. Let me deal with this my way."

Ryan came over to Gavin, taking his shoulder as Michael tensed slightly. "Come on," he told Gavin and Ray. "It'll be worse for him if we stay." He looked up at Michael, biting his lower lip. "Michael, if you want one of us to stay…"

"No."

That made Ryan sigh, and pull Gavin away. Ray didn't turn away at first, but finally left once he gathered up his clothing. Michael quickly slammed his door shut and locked it again, this time remembering the privacy lock.

God. He had hurt Lindsay to the point she needed stitches. He couldn't go back into work and face her now. Fuck, did he even still have a job after all that? Did Geoff just fire his ass after that considering he was shown to be a risk? Michael looked down at his hands, at the long claws, and swallowed.

Could he even have a job if he couldn't turn back to normal?


	7. Chapter 7

That was the last crumbs of cereal. Michael grumbled as he dumped the box into the trash can, searching for some milk and snarling a little to himself when he realized he had used the last of it yesterday. Well, time for dry cereal. Carefully, Michael picked up his spoon and started eating. It was awkward trying to hold things with how his fingers worked now and how they ended in claws. But he was managing. He was getting around the apartment and doing things like showering and eating without hurting himself.

He still hadn't managed to figure out how to retract his claws. By now, he figured there was no way. They were permanently out and that was that. Now, if he could just figure out how to turn them back to human, that would be a different story. A nice, happy story where he could fucking leave his apartment and get something to replenish the food he was running out of. Though, weren't there things like Amazon Prime Now? Yeah, he could possibly get little snacks and his fucking milk like that. Just… find ways to have them leave it at the door so he didn't have to open it. Hopefully they would just leave it when he told them to. Of course, the only way he could was through an app and his fingers had those fucking claws… Michael sighed in frustration, spooning another mouthful of cereal into his mouth. This was annoying.

It was beyond annoying, actually. It was actively interfering with his life. He couldn't go get food. There was no chance of him completely running out considering what else was happening, but the little things like snacks and milk and sodas? Gone. And apparently now breakfast. Michael dumped his now empty bowl in the sink with a groan. He needed to learn how to shift back. There were things he needed to do. At least the hands and fangs. The eyes he could hide with sunglasses and say he had sensitive eyes. Michael looked down at his hands, narrowing his eyes and moving the fingers slightly, trying to get them to go back to their rightful spots.

No dice. They stayed where they were, a twisted inhuman claw. Maybe at least he could shift the claws away so he could use his phone and get shit delivered to his door? He stared at his hands, flexing them as he tried to get the claws to go away. But even that didn't work. Goddamn it. Michael growled slightly, feeling frustration rise in him as his hands moved, still not in their normal way and still not going back in any way to human.

How the fuck did Ray do this? How in the fucking world did Ray actually shift between forms and not get stuck like this? Was it because he was actually fully a werewolf and not some weird human hybrid like him? Actually, he hadn't asked if Ray had any human blood in him… was that a thing in the non-human world? Pure blood snobbery? Or did it make any difference? Of all the things he had to think about now, it was that. Michael snorted to himself, pushing away from the sink and going to lay down on the couch.

He should probably put something on. While he could actually put something on Netflix, he couldn't hold a controller long enough to play a game or even use a computer without scratching up the hardware. And forget typing anything. So any games requiring WASD were out, and he could only play games if he was okay with destroying the controller or mouse. Which fucking sucked. His entertainment was reduced drastically, which was starting to drive him a little crazy. But fuck going outside.

Michael closed his eyes, shifting around a bit to get comfortable. He had napped a bit on the couch lately, and while it wasn't the most comfortable place, he had found ways to sleep that didn't have him waking up in complete pain. So it wasn't that bad. And it skipped a few hours of time so he didn't have to sit around, bored out of his skull.

Within a few minutes, he was asleep.

* * *

He should have anticipated it, but the knock on the door startled Michael. A quick look at the clock confirmed it was about that time. He groaned, rubbing his face with the heels of his hands. Well, time to see who it was today. Michael peeled himself off of the couch and made his way to the door, stopping in front of it and listening.

Well, it wasn't Gavin and the Ramsey family. He could usually hear them talking. And he could usually smell whatever Geoff had cooked, making his mouth water. That had always weakened his resolve and he had found his hand coming up to open the door so he could take the food from their hands. But he didn't want Geoff and Griffon to see him, and he didn't want to talk to Gavin right now. Not while he was still looking like this. It might be Ray and Tina, but even then they would be talking among themselves at some point. That was always the one he was the closest to opening the door to, since Ray might know how to shift back. But again, he didn't want the human to see, and he didn't want Ray to see him either. So that left-

"Hey, Michael." Ryan. Michael let out a breath, looking up at the ceiling. Of course. This had to be out of some guilt shit, since it was all his fault that all this happen in the first place. Fucking incubus. "I brought you dinner." There was the sound of something in plastic being placed next to his door, then something heavier. "And some other things. I figured you were probably running out of soda and things like that." Oh God he was being a dad to him. Michael resisted the urge to hit his head against the doorframe as Ryan hesitated for a moment. "Hey. I… spoke with some people. No one's really angry with you. And we're all okay with you coming in looking like that. We have Ray turning into a wolf when he wants to, after all. So all you have to do is come in and keep recording. We'll just suspend recording any live action segments for a while." Michael just stared at the door as Ryan sighed, the sound of him shifting on his feet coming through. "We miss you," he finally said softly.

Before he could realize it, Michael's hand was on the door, as flat as it could be. He missed them too. But he couldn't. It didn't matter that they didn't care what he looked like. They were still scared of him. And he didn't want them to see him like this - a weird hybrid between human and not. Slowly, he pulled his hand back, staring at the wood at he heard Ryan cough. "I'm going to leave your dinner here," he told him softly. "Someone else will be by tomorrow with dinner and maybe something else. Michael…" Ryan took a breath, then didn't follow up with it, instead saying "Goodbye."

Michael waited a few minutes before opening the door a crack, then just enough to grab the bags of various foods, milk, and the six pack of soda. Ryan hadn't brought him any snacks and he didn't bring the cereal he liked, but it was cereal. And dinner apparently was Chinese tonight. That was okay. Michael locked the door behind him, remembering both locks before taking everything to the kitchen to put it away.

He still had a job. All he had to do was come in and continue recording.

All he had to do was shift back to normal so he felt comfortable enough to actually do that shit.

Michael looked down at his hands, flexing them and trying to will them back to a more human form. He wanted to go back to work. He wanted to get out of the apartment.

He wanted to go back to normal.

His hands remained claws all through the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap! My god, guys, you are the absolute best! Now, yes, I do have at least two more stories plotted out, and I'm working on a side story right now from Gavin's POV that connects between Michael bugging out and when they show up all supportive. That should also be out today, once I get back from my appointment.
> 
> Again, everyone is the absolute best and thank you. From everyone that read this to those who left kudos to my commenters, I love you all. You all are the best part of this series!


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